


We Made a Start

by lululawrence



Category: One Direction (Band)
Genre: Alternate Universe, Alternate Universe - High School, American AU, American Harry, American Louis, Coming Out, F/F, Friends to Lovers, Genderswap, Girl Direction, Girls Kissing, Kissing, That's literally all this is
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-01-09
Updated: 2018-01-09
Packaged: 2019-03-02 19:52:24
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,809
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/13325313
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/lululawrence/pseuds/lululawrence
Summary: “Hey! I thought your phone got taken away after that stunt you pulled in Chem,” Louis said brightly, relieved her best friend was going to rescue her from her awful reading assignment, even if it was only temporarily.“It was taken away after that stunt she pulled in Chem,” a voice that definitely wasn’t Harry’s said.“Oh...hi, Anne,” Louis greeted, suddenly nervous. Anne had never called Louis before, not when Harry wasn’t already at Louis’ house for a sleepover or something.“Hi, Louis,” Anne continued. “Based on your greeting, I’m afraid I already know the answer, but I have to ask.” Anne’s voice was obviously filled with worry despite the fact she was trying to veil it with calm. “Harry doesn’t happen to be at your house, does she?”Or the one where Harry's hiding, Louis knows just where to find her, and more comes out of the evening than either expected.





	We Made a Start

**Author's Note:**

> Hi. Uhm. This was never supposed to happen. lollll but I was driving around and went past the park that was my friend's hiding place in high school and it brought back memories and suddenly this started coming together in my head and now here we are. *hides face*
> 
> Massive thanks to my group chats for being excited about this and especially to [B](http://haloeverlasting.tumblr.com) for pre-reading and yelling and helping me fix things. I love you guys very much a lot!
> 
> The title comes from 18 because the song was running through my mind, all because of the line "long way from the playground" hah so yeah. Anyway...this is a work of fiction, all errors are my own, please don't share this with anyone affiliated with the boys, etc. Thank you for reading!

Louis tried to keep her eyes from crossing as she attempted reading the third chapter of  _ the Scarlet Letter _ again. It was due tomorrow, with a pop quiz likely, but she could not get into it. She put the book down on her bed and groaned into her pillow.

“Just don’t slut shame anyone and this entire novel wouldn’t have needed to be written,” Louis mumbled to herself. After she’d lain there for a minute or five, her phone began to vibrate on her nightstand. Shooting up, wide awake now that there was the prospect of speaking to someone other than the poor Hester in Louis’ imagination, Louis grabbed the phone and immediately answered.

“Hey! I thought your phone got taken away after that stunt you pulled in Chem,” Louis said brightly, relieved her best friend was going to rescue her from her awful reading assignment, even if it was only temporarily.

“It  _ was _ taken away after that stunt she pulled in Chem,” a voice that definitely wasn’t Harry’s said.

“Oh...hi, Anne,” Louis greeted, suddenly nervous. Anne had never called Louis before, not when Harry wasn’t already at Louis’ house for a sleepover or something. 

“Hi, Louis,” Anne continued. “Based on your greeting, I’m afraid I already know the answer, but I have to ask.” Anne’s voice was obviously filled with worry despite the fact she was trying to veil it with calm. “Harry doesn’t happen to be at your house, does she?”

Louis blinked in confusion before looking around her strangely quiet room. It was past the younger kids’ bedtime and Lottie and Fizzy were probably still doing homework at the kitchen table, which was how Louis was able to find herself alone in her room in the first place. 

“No, she’s not,” she said slowly. “Is she not home either?”

Anne let out a slow sigh that belied her exhaustion before saying, “Listen. She’ll probably tell you herself anyway, but it isn’t my place to say what exactly happened. Just know something did. Harry left without her phone over three hours ago and hasn’t returned yet. I’ve checked with the other girls already and no one has seen her.” Anne paused for a second before asking softly, “Do you have any ideas where she might be?”

Louis had a distinct visual enter her mind of Harry and Louis, sitting side by side on swings in a small park hidden away behind a neighborhood. It was one Harry used to take a couple of kids she babysat during the summer and it had become her special thinking place. Louis remembered Harry’s hair streaming behind her as she pumped her legs to take her higher and higher, close to the sky, as she admitted that when she wanted to hide away from her parents, that was where she would go.

“I think I do, yeah.”

 

*~~***~~*

 

Louis parked and watched as the sunset faded. It was warm for late April, and Louis was thankful since she didn’t grab a jacket. As she allowed herself to study the two other cars in the parking lot, she was relieved to find Harry’s jeep in the spot next to the broken down Chevy that had been there for months. When she looked out towards the farthest swingset, Louis thought she could just make out a lone figure on a swing near the treeline that she hoped was Harry.

Louis shoved the keys into her front pocket and began to dodge the mud puddles left in the grass from the recent rainstorms. As she got closer, she knew it was Harry. Her long legs were clad in her favorite red capris, long hair up in a high ponytail, oversized button up that was probably Robin’s billowing behind her as she continued to go back and forth, always doing her best to get close to the sky.

Louis sat down in the swing next to Harry’s and dragged her feet in the wet mulch until Harry was ready to stop pumping and let the swing slowly bring her back to Earth.

“Hey, Lou,” she said quietly, still gently swinging.

“Hey, H,” Louis softly responded, watching her best friend’s face for any signs of what might have happened. At this point, the sun was almost entirely set and there wasn’t any light to give Louis clues. The park was likely considered closed by now, but Louis didn’t care if this was what Harry needed. “Your mom’s worried.”

“Yeah,” Harry said with a sigh. “Did she tell you what happened?”

Louis shook her head before scraping her hair out of her face. It kept sticking to her lip gloss and she was getting annoyed now. She shouldn’t have cut it short enough that it couldn’t be pulled into a ponytail. 

“No. Said it was for you to tell.”

Harry nodded, still staring at the dark trees in front of them. “I got lucky to have such a great mom.”

Louis remained quiet. They both knew they were lucky to have the moms they did. They were both familiar with the stories of the parents other kids in their class had to deal with.

“My aunt came to visit for Sunday dinner,” Harry started. “You know, the unmarried one who can’t keep her mouth shut? The Trump supporter?”

“Oh God,” Louis groaned. “What did she do?”

Louis could just barely see her outline as Harry pulled her hair forward to braid. 

“She wouldn’t let up asking questions about dating and shit. Kept really going at it, asking about boyfriends and why I wasn’t bringing anyone home yet, and finally I broke and told her I wasn’t going to be bringing any boys home.” Harry paused her story as she let out a whine that Louis hoped wasn’t her crying before she said, “I fucking came out to my entire family because of my stupid fucking aunt. Before I was ready and not in the way I wanted to and…” Harry’s voice faded off before she turned the swing so the chain was twisted and she was facing Louis. Louis could see her shoulders rise as she took in a deep breath and then chuckled. “Oh my God, Lou. I’m just  _ so _ fucking gay.” 

As soon as she said it, like Harry knew what the statement would do to Louis, she lifted her feet and allowed the swing to twirl her around while Louis tried to process what she’d said. Not that it helped. Louis’ heart pounded in her chest, causing the blood to rush in her ears. She’d had her suspicions of course, but she’d not allowed herself to hope that maybe...just maybe...Harry might like girls too.

“Please say something,” Harry pleaded, as if Louis wasn’t trying to keep her entire body from self combusting. Louis could tell she wasn’t crying, which was great, but that didn’t mean Louis wasn’t going to. “I mean, it can’t be  _ that _ much of a surprise, right?”

“What do you want me to say?” Louis asked, a little exasperated. She didn’t know how to handle this situation any better than Harry did. “I’m sorry that moment was taken away from you how it was. Did your parents take it alright? I’m guessing your mom did, at least, since she called me asking about you.”

“Yeah, my mom was great. Gave me a big hug. After my aunt made some stupid comments and still wouldn’t shut up, mom kicked her out of the house and said she wasn’t welcome.”

“Oh shit,” Louis said in awe. “Go Anne!”

“Yeah.” Harry quieted and Louis could hear her dragging her feet in the mulch before she said, “For real, though. Please talk. Are you okay with this?”

Louis let out a surprised laugh and shook her head. Was she okay with this? Of course she was. She thought Harry already knew. Louis was so gay she could barely even remember there were boys in the room if there was a pretty girl available. Besides, Harry thought  _ she _ had been obvious? How much did Louis have to talk about Gal Gadot’s incredible body before Harry clued in?

“Uh, yeah, Harry. I’m completely okay with this.”

“But,” Harry whispered. “But I’m a lesbian. I like girls, Louis.”

“And what am I?” Louis asked, chuckling. “A penguin?”

Louis could practically hear Harry’s pout when she said, “No, though you’d make a very cute penguin. But you are a girl, and-”

“Yeah,” Louis interrupted. “A girl who also likes girls, H.”

Harry sat in silence for another minute. “Really?”

Louis kicked her legs around and looked down at them. She could barely make out the whites of her chucks in the waning light and soon she wasn’t sure she’d even be able to see that much, thanks to the clouds covering the moon. 

“Yeah, Harry. I thought I’d been pretty obvious too, actually.” Taking a deep breath, Louis closed her eyes and decided to go for it. If she couldn’t say it at Harry’s special place while shrouded in darkness, when could she? “Especially when it comes to you.”

“Lou,” Harry said, her voice practically lilting in the soft spring breeze. “What do you mean, especially when it comes to me?”

Louis let out a groan as she fell back on the swing, only kept from the ground by her tight hold of the chains. “I mean I’ve basically been in love with you since middle school, so yeah. Everyone knows except you, I guess. I kinda thought you did already and just didn’t like me.”

Harry tumbled from the swing and let out a soft “Oomf!” as she landed.

“Oh my God,” Louis said with a laugh as she stood up and carefully walked to where Harry was a dark lump on the ground. “You are such a klutz.”

“Shut up, I thought you loved me!” Harry said with a whine, but she couldn’t cover up her giggles either. 

“I do love you, klutzy ass and all.”

Louis eventually found Harry’s hand, cold from the spring night air, and helped her off the ground.

“Good. Cause I love you too, even when you tease me.”

Louis snorted. “You love me  _ because _ I tease you.”

Harry wrapped her arms around Louis and pulled her close enough so she could lean her forehead against Louis’. “Mmm, yeah. Maybe.”

And then, finally, Harry tipped her chin up just enough to meet Louis’ lips in a soft, gloss-sticky kiss. It didn’t last for long, and it didn’t really need to. They both knew it was the first of countless more they would share.

“Come on,” Louis said after allowing her heart to calm a little from everything that had happened. “I told your mom I’d get you home as soon as I could, and what kind of girlfriend would I be if I can’t even keep simple promises like that?”

 

**Author's Note:**

> Thank you so much for reading! I hope you liked it. If you did, please leave a nice comment, kudos, and/or reblog the fic post [here](http://lululawrence.tumblr.com/post/169512384788/we-made-a-start-by-lululawrence-hey-i-thought).
> 
> Interested in helping support charities with fanfic? If you are, I could write a fic for you! Check out the info [here on Tumblr](https://1dfanworksforcharity.tumblr.com/post/174494969280/1d-fanworks-for-charity-auctions-for-lululawrence).


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